France's tour of Paris
by Ashry 42
Summary: [Historical Hetalia] Each year every country gives a tour of one of their cities to the other countries. This year it's France's turn; he will be giving a tour of Paris to his fellow countries. (Rater T for swearing.)
1. Intro

___**Disclaimer**__: I do not own Hetalia. It rightfully belongs to it's owner Hidekaz Himaruya. I am not trying to make profit out of it. Just practicing my writing skills with my favorite manga !_

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_The countries were all gathered at Frances house for their meet-up._

"Wow, this is going to be awesome!" America exclaimed, bouncing up and down like an excited child. "I can't wait to see all those old buildings and all the important historical figures! We'll go see France's Lady Liberty, right? Right? And then we have to go on that big pointy tower thingy! And then-"

"It's called the Eiffel Tower you twit." England countered. "And can you please be quiet for a minute? We've just arrived and you're already driving me nuts!"

"Vee~ I can't wait to visit big brother's city! I haven't been to Paris in a long time!" Italy pepped in, talking to Germany. "I'm glad you came along! Are you glad to be here too?"

"Ja, I guess." Germany replied.

"What about you Japan? Are you excited to be here?" Italy inquired, smiling.

"Hai. Very much. I hope to make lots of memories with my camera." He showed him the camera straped around his neck.

"What's taking that bastard so long?" Romano complained. "He should already be here!"

"Relájate mi amigo" (Relax my friend) Spain soothed. "He won't be long now."

"Shut up! I wasn't asking you." Romano retorted.

Spain grinned. "You're so cute when you're angry."

Romano blushed and looked away "Just leave me alone bastardo…" He grumbled.

"This is so exciting, big brother!" Lichtenstein commented. "I've never been to Paris before. Have you?"

"Yes. A long time ago." Switzerland answered. "Listen Lichtenstein, make sure to always stick close to me; always be somewhere I can see you. I don't want you getting lost. It's easy to get lost."

"Yes, I will big brother." Lichtenstein smiled back.

"I hope we'll pass by Abesses." Austria remarked, talking to Hungary.

"Why is that?" She asked.

"France told me that there is a piano over there out on the streets for everyone to play."

"Oh."

"I'm so glad you told me about this meeting, Lithuania" Russia commented, patting – I mean smacking – Lithuania on the head. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't know about it." Russia grinned, then stopped hitting Lithuania. "As a reward I'll buy you anything you want."

"R-Really?" Lithuania inquired shyly, looking back at him with big round eyes.

"Of course." Russia smiled back. Although Lithuania couldn't help but notice how cold his smile was.

Russia turned to China. "I'm glad I invited you to accompany me."

"You mean you dragged me along…" China corrected.

Russia walked over towards him, standing centimeters away. "Don't say that China." He smiled, looming over him. "You know you wanted to come too."

"Yes, yes. I do." He replied, taking a few steps back, a shiver ran down his spine.

"Good." Russia grinned.

Canada was out. He headed for a ticket booth; he was helping France out with the preparations. France had asked him if he could get transport tickets for everyone while he went to the information booth to buy touring guides, and Canada had gladly accepted. He was happy to help France out and, most of all, happy to be noticed.

He finally got to the booth. The lady barely glanced at him, before going back to her book.

"Bonjour." He greeted quietly, smiling.

With a sigh, she put her book down. "Que puis-je faire pour vous ?" (How may I help you?) She asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, her expression full of boredom.

"Puis-je avoir cinq paquets de dix tickets, s'il-vous-plait ?" (May I have five packets of ten tickets, please?) He asked.

"Oh..." She drawled, suddenly all her attention was focused on Canada. She sat up straighter, her eyes widening, and a smile slowly spreading on her lips. "Cet accent…" (This accent…) She leaned forward, placing her arms on the counter. "Est-ce que – par hasard – tu serais canadien ?" (Could you be – by any chance – Canadian?) She inquired, her eyes full of awe.

"O-Oui…" He replied, wary.

"Aha!" She clapped her hands once. "J'le savais!" (I knew it!) She exclaimed. Then she leaned forward even more, and asked "Que viens-tu faire ici ?" (What are you doing here?)

"Je viens rendre visite à mon père." (I came to visit my dad.) He answered back, a small blush heating his cheeks, which was caused by the proximity of the young girl.

"Ah bon ? T'as de la famille ici en France ? Tu dois venir souvent alors !" (Oh really? You have family here in France? You must visit often then!) She grinned. Canada didn't understand why that statement made her happy.

"Ça te dit qu'on aille prendre un vers après ?" (Would you like to go have a drink with me afterwards?) She inquired, staring intensely at him.

Canada's blush deepened. "Ah! Um… d-désolé, je ne peux pas…" (Ah! Um… s-sorry, I can't…") He apologized.

Her smiled instantly disappeared. "Ah bon…" (Oh really…) She looked down, opening a drawer, and took out a post-it on which she wrote down her number, before handing it to him. "Voici mon numéro, si jamais tu change d'avis." (Here is my number, in case you change your mind.) She winked at him. Then she opened another drawer and took out the tickets. "Et voici t'es tickets." (And here are your tickets) she handed it to him. "Ça fera vingt euros s'il-vous-plait." (That will be twenty euros please.) Canada handed her the money, then said goodbye to her, and left.**  
**

On the way back, he bumped into France.

"Ah, te voilà Canada !" (Oh, there you are Canada!) France greeted. "J'allais tout juste venir voir si t'avais besoin d'aide." (I was just about to go see if you needed any help.) He stated, then asked. "T'as les tickets ?" (D'you have the tickets?)

"Oui." Canada handed it to him, and France thanked him.

They walked together back to France's house. Once inside, France greeted everyone.

"Salut! (Hi) Sorry about the wait." France apologized.

"About time!" Romano muttered. France decided to ignore him, and immediately started handing out to each of them tickets and two maps: one with the streets of Paris and another for the transports.

"Come on, let's go!" America blurt out. "I'm sick of standing here."

"Patience." France replied. "Ok. Does everyone have tickets and maps?"

"Yes." They all agreed.

"Now remember, this is our meeting place. If any of you get lost on the way, you come back here, ok?"

"Remember that, Lili." Switzerland said, addressing Lichtenstein.

"I will." She replied back.

"We'll be walking most of the time, and sometimes we'll take the metro, or the bus." France continued. "And finally, here is the list of what we will be visiting." France said, showing them a piece of paper. He looked and it and said. "The first place we will be visiting is…"

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_**AN: **Please leave a review!_


	2. Chapter 1

"… le Louvre." **[1]** France stated.

They were now standing in front of the glass pyramid, surrounded by the tall and imposing buildings of the palace.

"Duuuuuuuuuuude!" America rushed forward and glued himself to the glass pyramid, peering down. "This is awesoooooome!" he watched the people down below for a moment before turning his head towards France, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Are we going down there?" He asked, although it was more of a demand than a question.

"Of course." France smiled back, as he calmly walked over towards America, taking his time.

"YEAH!" America jumped up, pumping his fist in the air.

England walked over to them and face-palmed. "God, he's so immature…" he mumbled, shaking his head. "Where did I go wrong?"

Japan was taking pictures of everything every minute. His eyes held a glint of admiration. He was fascinated by the architecture of the monuments because they were very different from the ones at his place. He never really needed to interact with France, so he doesn't know much about French culture. The only European cultures he was most familiar with was Germany and Italy.

Germany came up to Japan. "You shouldn't take so many pictures. This is only our first stop; you're going to need the memory space for all the other things we visit."

"Yes. Your right." He put his camera back down and decided to capture all the memories with his eyes instead.

Italy was off drawing. He was busy sketching a few statues, letting out a few "Veee~" from time to time. Austria was by him, watching him draw.

"This is all so pretty." Lichtenstein commented, gazing around. "It's too bad I forgot to bring my camera…" She sighed.

Japan walked up to her. "Greetings Lichtenstein." He bowed. "I couldn't help but hear your comment." She turned towards him, giving him a quizzical look. He showed her his camera. "I have one. If you would like, afterwards I could send you the pictures?"

"That would be wonderful!" Lichtenstein beamed. She rummaged through her back, took out a pen and a piece of paper, then wrote down her address and gave it to Japan, who thanked her in return.

"Could you give me your address too?" She asked, handing him the pen and paper.

"With pleasure." He answered, and scribbled down his address before handing it to her.

Switzerland was sitting on a bench a little way off, watching the scene, paying close attention to Lichtenstein. Suddenly he felt something tugging at the bottom of his pants and looked down. There, he saw a little polar bear chewing the edge of his pants. Before he could react he heard a soft yell coming from behind him. He looked over his shoulder and noticed Canada running up to him.

Canada quickly swept up the polar bear cub in his arms and started apologizing. "I'm really really really sorry about that! I don't know what got into him." he babbled.

Switzerland gave him a curt nod. "It's fine. Just don't let that happen again." He warned.

"I won't." Canada replied.

Switzerland went back to watching Lichtenstein. Canada followed his gaze and his anxiety was replaced by warmth. He walked to the edge of the bench. "Do you mind if I sit here too?"

"Go ahead." Switzerland replied, not bothering to look back.  
Canada sat down and stared ahead a moment before saying "I can see that she's very important to you." Switzerland stayed silent.

"I know what it's like to take care of someone." Canada continued. This time Switzerland turned towards his interlocutor.

"It's a lot of responsibilities." Canada commented "But at the same time, it's reassuring to know that someone needs you, that someone counts on you." Canada turned to face Switzerland with a small smile. "It makes you feel special."

"That's true." Switzerland agreed.

Hungary was taking pictures with her cellphone. At some point she stopped what she was doing and looked around, searching for Austria. When she spotted him, she called out to him, waving her hand. "Hey Austria! Come here for a minute."

"What is it Hungary?" He replied back.

"Come, come." She beckoned him, a smile plastered on her face.

Austria looked a bit wary, but reluctantly decided to join her. Once he got to her he raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Just stand right here." She instructed, moving him like a doll on the spot she wanted, before taking a few steps back and raising her phone, staring at it intensely.

"What are you doing?" He asked, stoically.

"I'm taking a picture of you." She replied, then her smile grew. "You fit very well in the surroundings. It's as if this palace was meant for you." She commented before taking a picture. Then she went to join him and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Before Austria could ask what she was doing, she got ahead of him and stated "I want to take a picture with you" while holding her phone as far away as she could.

While Russia was busy tormenting China, Lithuania used that moment to slowly sneak away and headed for America, who was currently having a heated quarrel with England. Staying close to America was the only way he could protect himself against Russia's bullying.

When Russia noticed Lithuania's absence, he immediately started looking for him. And when he spotted him, he when to join him. "Why did you leave my side Lithuania? I thought we were having a fun time together." Russia stated with cold friendliness.

"Uh… w-well-" Lithuania started.

"Leave him alone Russia." America interjected.

"Don't interfere in something that doesn't concern you, America." Russia glared back while still holding onto his smile.

America went to stand close to Russia. "I'll interfere if I want." He argued. "And most of all, I will interfere when it is necessary." He glared back. "I saw how you treat him; you're nothing more than a big bully." He accused.

Russia's smile froze. "Bully?" He crept closer to America until their faces were practically touching each other. "That wasn't a very nice thing to say." He sneered. "I would like an apology."

"Hah." America snorted. "Never in a million years would I apologize to _you!_" he spat the last word.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance." Russia growled.

"Come on boys," France soothed. "Please don't fight. We're all here for a visit. Let's keep the fighting to a minimum, shall we?"

"Mind your own business, Francey-pants!" America snapped.

"Hey! Don't call me that!" France retorted, but suddenly he felt a hand fall on his shoulder and snapped his head around to glare at the owner's hand. He was greeted by pompous emerald eyes. "Just let him be." England told him. "Once he's in his hero mode there is no stopping him." He then turned to watch the fight playing before him. He was secretly pleases that the fight was taking place. He had a score to finish with Russia, but since he wasn't strong enough to take him on by himself, he was glad America was taking care of it.

"How can you just let them fight?" France accused, glaring at England, but England just ignored him.

Meanwhile, Spain was busy tormenting Romano, poking his cheek from time to time, and Romano snapped back at him, yelling at him to leave him alone. So after a while, Spain decided to do that, and went to torment France instead. He walked up to France and practically jumped on him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, his usual charming smile adorning his face. "What are we waiting for, _mon amis_." He said, nudging France. Spain would sometimes kindly tease him by using his friend's language, and France would return the favor.

"Let's go down to where the important stuff are, Ok?" Spain continued.

France had quickly gotten over his quarrel with Britain and smiled back at Spain.

"Bueno. ¡Vamos!" (Ok. Let's go!) France replied, grinning. He gestured for everyone to follow, and the two of them headed for the entrance; their head close together as they laughed and talked about random things.

America immediately stopped fighting with Russia, and happily bounced off towards the entrance.

Romano stood there, staring back at them with eyes full of jealous hatred, he hated being ignored, and right now he felt like a boiling kettle that was on the brim of bursting. He was just about to yell insults at them, until suddenly a cold hand placed itself on his shoulder. His anger instantly vanished and he looked up, only to see Russia gazing back at him, and he froze.

"There's no use letting out your anger like an enraged cat. If you really want to hurt him, you have to calmly plan it out." Romano relaxed as he couldn't help but notice how sad Russia's smile seemed, and he read loneliness in those deep blue eyes. The same loneliness he felt. Romano didn't want to admit it, but deep down he knew they shared the same heartbreaking feeling of solitude.

Romano nodded in acknowledgement, thanking him for the advice before they both quietly followed the group.

They were now inside the museum, at the base of the glass pyramid, which was also where you would buy the tickets.

America noticed that the place was packed with people, and frowned. "Dude, I'm not waiting two hours in line just to go see some old sculptures." He declared.

"Don't worry, we won't have to wait in line." France winked at him. America brightened up "Really?"

"Oui, oui" France confirmed, nodding his head. "I have a special privilege. I am France after all." He elegantly swatted his hair back. "They won't be able to refuse me." He stated, striking a pose.

America raised an eyebrow but didn't question him.

The group gathered towards the entrance that lead to the different forms of art of different times (Middle Ages, Renaissance, etc.)

France went up to the guard. The guard – who was a relatively young man; a student taking his first job - brightened up upon seeing Francis.

"Bonjour Francis!" The guard greeted, taking off his hat in a polite reverence.

"Salut mon p'ti" ("Hey there, little guy.) France replied using his charming smile.

"Je suis content de te voir !" (I'm happy to see you!) The guard said, putting his hat back on.

"Moi de même." (Same for me.) France answered.

The other countries calmly walked in, but when the guard noticed he rushed forward and tried to stop them. "Eh, vous là ! Arrêter !" (Hey, you there! Stop!) However, France caught hold of him, placing a hand on his shoulder, and said "Attend !" (Wait!)

The guard whipped his head back to face France, looking at him with a fearful expression. He was scared that by letting these people in he would lose his newly acquired job.

"Ce sont aussi des personnifications humaine de différent pays. Je suis entrain de leur faire un tour de Paris. Est-ce que tu peux aussi les laisser entrer sans payer comme tu fais pour moi ?" (They're also personified countries. I'm taking them on a tour of Paris. Could you also let them come in without paying like you do for me?) France inquired, giving him a reassuring smile.

The guard's expression softened in understanding. "Ah d'accord, je comprend mieux maintenant." (Ah ok, I understand better now.) Then he nodded. "Bien sur." (Of course.)

France let him go and flashed him a smile before joining his fellow countries. When he caught up to them he asked them to halt so that he could address all of them.

"Now, as you can see there are MANY things to visit. The Louvre is too big to be seen in one day, so I'm just going to take you to some of my favorite art." He turned his head towards Italy and smiled "I'm sure you'll love it."

"Where are we going?" Italy chirped in, excitedly.

"To the Renaissance section!" France replied, grinning.

"Yay!" Italy exclaimed.

"I knew you'd like it." France confirmed before heading down the long hallway, the others following only a few steps behind.

They entered a big wide room filled with paintings placed all around the walls, and wooden benches at the center. The place wasn't full, there were a few people standing here and there admiring the paintings; a few people sitting on the benches gazing at the pictures from afar; and two children running around the room while their parents tried to hush them.  
Italy immediately went to the first one; it was a portrait called "_Portrait of Baldassare Castiglion" (1478 – 1529)_. He is the author of the hugely successful _Book of the Courtier_. Castiglion was also Raphael's friend. **[2]** Italy sighed as he remembered the fun times he spent with those two artists.

America barely glanced at each picture before he went to the next. Suddenly he felt a pointy object hit his head and immediately swung around to find out who had done that. The object, which fell to the ground, was a pencil. He grabbed it.

Immediately one of the kids came running up to him and apologized. "Désolé monsieur." (Sorry sir.) The little boy looked back at America anxiously. "On jouait à la batail avec mon p'ti frère, et j'ai lancé le crayon juste quand tu passais…" (My little brother and I were playing fight, and you passed by just as I threw the pencil…)

"Ce n'est pas grave." (It's fine.) America replied with his basic French **[3]**, flashing him his hero smile, and handing him the pencil back. Just then America noticed that the little boy was holding a sketchbook.

"Qu'est-ce que tu dessine ?" (What are you drawing?) America asked, crouching down. The boy pointed to one of the paintings. "Celui-là." (That one.) The other kid came to join his brother and politely greeted America before showing him his drawing too.

"Et moi je dessine ça!" (And I'm drawing this!) He pointed to another drawing.

"Wow, c'est géniale!" (Wow, that's great!) America complimented them.

Japan started taking pictures of the paintings until France told him that it was illegal.

Suddenly shouts and gasps could be heard at the other end of the room. Everyone immediately turned their heads to watch the commotion.

France instantly rushed forward, towards the outcry, and when he saw what was happening he froze in terror. "Parbleu !" **[4]** He exclaimed. Right in front of his eyes, Romano was trying to detach the _Mona Lisa _from the wall.

After that short moment of being frozen in horror, anger instantly flared up inside France. "What do you think you're doing!" He screamed, trying to drag Romano away from the painting, but Romano was resisting and cursing.

"Let me go you bastardo! This shouldn't be here, it's not your property; it's ours! We should take it back to where it belongs!" Then he turned to his brother. "Help me out here, Veneziano! How can you let him do this to m-mmph!" France clasped his hand over Romano's mouth and dragged him away.

Italy looked back at Romano with sad eyes. "I'm sorry fratello, I don't think we should do that…" That look on Italy's eyes made Romano even more angry.

After that ruckus, the countries were kicked out.

"Thanks a lot Romano!" France grumbled, then he shook his head. "I'll never invite you countries again. There's always something that goes wrong with you guys…"

"How could you have acted so foolishly!" Germany scolded sternly.

"Shut up potato bastard…" Romano shot back, but looked down at the floor, embarrassed.

It was now noon and the countries were heading out of the museum, a fresh spring breeze made the tree branches sway back and forth.

Suddenly Italy stopped and stared ahead in the distance. France noticed that and went up to him.

"What's wrong?" France inquired.

"I don't know… I feel like something's missing…"

France sighed. "So you noticed it too…" He stared straight ahead and imagined the phantom building that used to be standing behind the grand _Arc de triomphe du Carrousel._ **[5]**

Italy turned to France. "What happened?" He asked.

France sighed again, his expression sullen. "It's a long story… I might tell you one day." And with that, France and Italy went to join the group.

"Where are we going now?" England asked, once France had joined them.

"How about we go…"

"I'm starving!" America interjected. "Let's stop by McDonalds before we continue our trek."

"NON! Absolutely not!" France countered. "We are not eating that hideous food of yours!"

"Aww, come on, it's not that bad!" America smiled. "In fact it's quick and delicious! Two great qualities for cheep food!"

"Are you completely out of your mind?" France looked horrified. "How can you call that delicious?!" But before America could retort, France continued. "If we're stopping for food, it's going to be at a nice Café on a cute little _terrasse_."

"Fine..." America drawled. "As the hero, I'll let you do it your way."

"Merci." France replied.

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**Historical data**

_**[1]** We __talk about two different things when we state "Le Louvre": We either talk about the museum (Le Musée du Louvre) or the palace (Le Palais du Louvre)._

_First of all, I'd like to mention the origin of the name. The first fortification of the palace was done during Philippe II of France (the 7th King) during the 12 or 13th century. It was built in a site called "Lupara" a Latin word that means "Louverie" in French, which is a place that used to shelter crews employed to hunt wolves. (In Latin "lupus" means wolf.)_

_However Henry Sauval, a historian from the XVII century, traces the word "Louvre" back to old French "lauer" or "lower" which means "watchtower". That word links back to the occupation of the "Francs saliens" (a Germanic people). And in fact, in their language, the words "leovar", "lovar", "lover," "leower" or "lower" mean "castle" or "fortified camp"._

_In 1527, François 1er (King of France) decided to make the Louvre his main residence. He commissioned architect Pierre Lescot the construction of a modern building in the spirit of the Renaissance. At the king's death, the work is just beginning, but his son Henri II decided to continue the work. Lescot had built a few years later the prestigious central wing housing the ballroom, which soon became a manifesto of the architecture of the French Renaissance._

_During Louis XIV's reign, Italian artists take an interest in the Louvre and start to renovate it, giving it a more Italian Renaissance style._

_When Louis XIV decided to move to Versailles, the Louve is abandoned and gradually loses its symbolic dimension. However, during the revolution it is saved from the hatred of revolutionary crowds because it no longer has a monarchical symbolism. Unfortunately, this is not the case for "Le Palais des Tuileries" (which was sitting opposite of the Louvre) which got destroyed on May 23, 1871 by the Revolutionists._

_For a long time the people don't take an interest in the Louvre. It will take a few years for them to decide that they are going to turn it into a museum._

_**[2]** Raphael is one of the most famous Italian painters of the Renaissance, more precisely, during "La Haute Renaissance" which is during the peak of the Renaissance period._

_**[3]** I consider America to also know French since he was also colonized by France at some point. (He was colonized by Spain, France and England, so for me he speaks these three languages.) There is a State that still has quite a few French speakers. That's because, when Canada became English, the French settlers (who didn't want to serve the English Queen) were thrown out and had to go somewhere else, and at the time Louisiana was still French, so most of them migrated there. As for those who stayed: there were some that didn't want to become English or leave, so they hid. And there were some who were resigned to their fate... In they end they found a compromise: They were allowed to keep their language if they pledged loyalty to the Queen._

_**[4]** "Parbleu!" is an old French exclamation. Other versions would be "Pardieu!" or "Sacrebleu". But it doesn't really matter because no one uses it any more. I just thought it would be funny to have him swear in his old tongue, rather than having him say "merde" (which means "shit" in French)._

_**[5]** In front of the Louvre there is l'Arc de triomphe du Carrousel. It was built in honor of the Grand Army of Napoleon Bonaparte between 1807 and 1809. It used to be the door / entrance to "Les Tuileries" (before it got burned in 1871). Celebrating the victory of the French army at Austerlitz. The triumphal arch illustrates the campaign of 1805 and the capitulation of Ulm October 20th, 1805._


	3. Chapter 2

_**AN:** In this story I wanted to try changing my writing style; I tried writing longer and more elaborate sentences because I wanted to go more in depth with the characters. So I would very much appreciate feedback for this part; I would like to know what you thought about my story and also my new writing style (if you see any difference in it that is. XD Maybe you won't see any changes... XD)_

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France pursed his lips as he watched through narrowed eyes the commotion that was taking place right in front of him, his arms crossed over his chest, and his fingers drummed on his biceps. No, he didn't want to believe it. He refused to believe this would happen every time they would enter a public building.

Exited yells and angry cries continued to echo through France's ears, which only increased his animosity. His eyebrow twitched.

"_Putain!_" He unconsciously let a curse slip out. "Ne m'dit pas qu'ça va être comme ça chaque fois…" (Don't tell me it's going to be like this every time…) He grumbled under his breath. Depending on his mood, he would change his language register. When anger got the better of him - like it is happening now - he would sometime revert back to less formal speech and chose a more vernacular way of speaking, taping into his rebellious side.

Finally, France could no longer stand it; he had lost all the patience that was left in him. He uncrossed his arms, took a deep breath, and yelled: "What did you guys to this time?!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing, and one by one turned to face France, who was glaring back at them, his face reddened by anger.

"I was gone for five minutes and when I come back, the manager kicks us out! So tell me, what did you guys do?!" France exclaimed.

"Ask that to this wanker here." England said, jerking his thumb towards America.

"Hey, it's not my fault," America remarked. "I was just trying to help. These guys were crappy waiters; we've been waiting half an hour for our food-"

"Oh, don't exaggerate; it was only about 15 or 20 minutes." Spain cut him off.

"That's long enough!" America retorted back.

Lichtenstein watched the scene take place, silently hoping that they would stop fighting. Then she turned towards her brother and wondered why he wasn't taking part in the argument too.

The reason Switzerland stayed silent was because he was secretly pleased that they had been kicked out; the food there was rather expensive, and he didn't know how he would have paid for it.

The other's also stayed silent, waiting for the bickering to end.

"So you thought it was OK to just barge into the kitchen like that?" England added, his voice full of scorn.

"Didn't you see that the place was full?" Germany said, talking to America. "That's why they were taking a while."

"Well duh! That's why I volunteered to help." America countered, folding his arms over his chest in a defying manner.

"I miei amici (my friends) let's just forget about this and try some place else, OK?" Italy pepped in, frantically waiving his arms.

France sighed, letting out the rest of his anger, and slowly regained his composure. He brought his thumb and index finger to his chin and calmly caressed his beard as he thought of where they could head off to next. "There's no point in standing here in front of the Café." He commented. "Let's continue our walk, and we'll stop by a _boulangerie _on the way."

America instantly brightened up. "Cool! I'll get to eat a French baguette!"

So they started walking down the street, glancing from time to time at the shops that were lined up one after the other.

Japan started taking pictures again; he took pictures of the street, the shops and even the lamps; basically of anything he could see.

Germany was taking notes as he walked. He precisely wrote down everything they visited, including the date and hours of their visit.

Lichtenstein gazed at the rows of shops until a particular one caught her eye. Out on the window display was a beautiful yellow and red striped dress decorated with rich ornaments. She felt drawn to it and walked over towards it. Switzerland followed her. He gazed at the dress then looked at Lichtenstein and asked: "Do you want that dress?" She nodded in reply. So he looked at the price and gulped; and instantly felt frozen on the spot.

Austria saw that those two had stopped. He taped Hungary on the shoulder and said: "look", jerking his head towards the two other Europeans. When Hungary saw what he was showing her, her lips curled upwards into a small smile. Austria nodded his head confirmation. They both knew how picky Switzerland was with money, and seeing as how Lichtenstein really wanted that dress, Austria thought he would make a little exception. So they decided to walk over to them.

"That's a pretty dress." Hungary commented, then looked at Lichtenstein and smiled. "It would fit you wonderfully." She said, before adding: "You know what? I'll buy it for you."

"What?!" Lichtenstein and Switzerland blurt out at the same time.

"No, That wouldn't be right. I can't let you do that." Switzerland babbled, his face turning red in embarrassment.

"Yes, I don't want to bother you." Lichtenstein affirmed, looking down and fiddling with her fingers.

"Oh, don't worry." Hungary said, waving her hand. "It'll be my gift."

"And I'll contribute too." Austria added. "That way it will be less expensive if two people pay."

Switzerland glared at Austria, however his blush had deepened into a darker shade of red. Through his eyes he seemed to be saying _'This was your idea, wasn't it?'_

Austria just smiled back at him.

They went to pay for the dress before joining the group.

After a few minutes of walking, France found a _boulangerie_. America tried to rush inside but France grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back out, telling him that only he would go in this time, not wanting to be kicked out of yet another place. America pouted but said nothing. They all told France what they wanted to eat, and he went in to buy their lunch. Once they all had their sandwiches and croissants they headed off once more.

"What are we going to visit now?" Italy inquired.

France smiled. "You'll see."

They walked in silence for about half an hour. Each of them looking at the different buildings around them. At some point they arrived on a big square full of people. Ahead of them lay a tall and imposing building. They all stopped and gawked.

America was the first to break the silence. "Wow… what is _that_?"

"It looks like a big church." Canada commented.

France jumped a few steps ahead and twirled once before stopping in front of the group, a big grin plastered on his face. "Bienvenue, mes amis, à _La Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris" _**[1]** (Welcome, my friends, to Paris' Notre-Dame's Cathedral). France declared, bowing and pretending to remove an invisible hat.

They all stared for a few seconds until Spain broke the silence. "Come on, let's go inside!" He said, and started walking towards the Cathedral without waiting for France's consent.

France beckoned the rest of the troupe and they headed inside.

There were many entrances to this building. Each entrance began with a big vault carved in the building. Once you were in, immediately the sound from outside became muffled and faint. The only noises you could hear were the echoes of footsteps.

"This is cool!" America exclaimed.

"Shhhh!" France interjected.

"Sorry." America apologized in a whisper.

Everyone slowly walked down the hall, taking their time to look at the different parts of the church. Japan would – of course – be taking pictures. However, at some point he stopped because he wanted to take a closer look. He went to stand close to a pillar, gently placed a hand on it and slid it down the soft surface.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" A voice said, very close to Japan's ear, which startled him and made him jump up in the air. He turned to face the person. In front of him stood a girl that had light blue eyes and strawberry blond hair tied up in a high ponytail. She was smiling sweetly back at him.

"The place, I mean." The stranger added. She turned her head and stared at the ceiling. "I always love coming to these places." Her eyes drifted around, staring at different parts of the church before landing back on Japan. "The quietness helps me think. When I want to get away from the outside world I come in here."

"Yes. It does have a peaceful atmosphere." Japan agreed.

Germany was standing in front of a sign, reading it, with his notes in hand. When he found something interesting he would scribble it down in his notebook. He started walking again, his eyes glued to his papers as he finished writing his sentence, when all of a sudden he collided with someone, causing him to lose his notes.

"_Entschuldigung* _– Ah! I mean: _pardon*!"_ He apologized and starting collecting his scattered papers.

"Ah non, désoler, c'est de ma faute: je ne regardais pas où j'allais !" (Oh no, sorry, it's my fault: I wasn't looking where I was going!) The stranger replied and crouched down to help him. Germany had gathered most of the papers; only one was left. He reached out to grab it but the stranger did the same, so he ended up grabbing the stranger's hand. He instantly looked up and their eyes met. He was faced with a young girl who had wavy chestnut hair that fell down to her shoulders and khaki colored eyes behind big round dark carmine red color glasses. He quickly removed his hand and she handed him the last piece of paper.

Germany got up and dusted himself. "Merci." He said, giving her a curt nod. He could feel a slight blush starting to heat up his cheeks and looked away, only to have his attention drawn to something else: his eyes landed on the notebook the girl was holding.

The girl looked at her notebook, then back at Germany, and smiled. "Je suis en sortie avec ma class; on visite différents monuments historique. A la fin on devra faire un compte-rendu de tout ce qu'on a vue." (I'm on a class trip; we're visiting different historical monuments. At the end we will have to do a report on everything we saw.)

That statement had piqued Germany's interest. "Ah, ça à l'air intéressant ce que vous faite." (Ah, that sounds interesting what you're doing.) **[2]** He replied. "J'ai moi même pris quelque notes. Si vous voulez, je peux vous les montrer ?" (I myself also took a few notes. If you want, I can show them to you?)

"Oh, ce serait super sympas !" (Oh, that would be wonderful!) She enthused. "Et je pourrais te montrer les miens, si tu veux." (And I could show you mine, if you want.)

Germany nodded, so they started exchanging notes, talking about the different things they've seen.

"Au faite, j'ai oublié de te demander ton prénom. Tu t'appelles comment ?" (By the way, I forgot to ask you your name. What's your name?)

"Je m'appelle Ludwig." (My name is Ludwig) He answered. "Et toi, comment t'appelles-tu ?" (And you, what's your name?)

"Julie" She replied, then added with a grin. "Du bist Deutch, nicht wahr?" (You're German, right?)

"Ja!" Germany replied, smiling.

She chuckled. "Ich war schon einmal in Deutschland gehen. Es ist ein sehr schönes Land!" (I've already been to Germany once. It's a very nice country!)

Germany's eyes sparkled in awe; it was rare to see a francophone speak German. Most French people, unfortunately, still bear a grudge against Germans because of what happened in the last World War, so he was amazed to hear her speak his language.

His silence made her anxious, so she added: "Tut mir leid, wenn mein Niveau von Deutsch ist nicht gut; Ich spreche nur ein wenig Deutch." (I'm sorry if my level of German isn't good; I only speak a little bit of German.)

Germany snapped out of his trance and shook his head. "Nein! Es ist sehr gut! Ich war nur sehr überrascht, dass du sprichst meine Sprache." (No! It's really good! I was just really surprised that you were speaking my language.)

She smiled sweetly back at him, which caused him to blush even more.

Spain was familiar with Churches, and he had already visited Notre-Dame, so he decided to do something else. He went directly to the candles. There, he took one and, by using an already lit candle, he lit the candle up before placing it down next to the others. Then he took a quiet moment to pray.

England was sitting down reading a book. He too was very familiar with Churches – for him it was nothing special – so he didn't feel like visiting it either.

Italy was also sitting on a bench, but he was drawing. Romano was trying to draw too but he was having more difficulties compared to his brother who seemed to have a natural instinct for art. Romano was gripping his pencil in such a strong grip that at some point it broke in half. He let out a "damn it" and threw the pencil to the floor, then started shredding his drawing.

As for America, every time he passed by a statue – or any other object – he wouldn't just stare at it, he would touch it, and every time France would pull him away.

"Stop touching stuff Alfred!" France said exasperatedly, taking his hand. "If you keep doing that I'm going to have to hold your hand like a little child to make sure you stop."

America snatched his hand away from France's grasp. "No thanks." He retorted coldly. He hated being treated like a child; it reminded him of his colonial days, and of how England was always trying to force things on him.

"Then act your age." France walked over to Canada and, with a smile, started stoking the said nation's head. "Why don't you act more like your brother, hmm? You could learn from him; he knows when to stay quiet."

"He's too quiet." America remarked. "And doesn't know how to have fun. He's boring; I don't want to be like him."

That ticked Canada off. He walked over towards America, and with a firm yet quiet voice he said: "Oh? Because you think that acting like a jerk all the time is OK?"

"Hey!" America blurt out. "I'm not a jerk! You're just jealous of the fact that I'm the hero and you're not. You think that sitting there quietly, eating pancakes and ridding a moose make you smarter?"

"How dare you say that!" Canada stood inches from America's face. "Because stuffing yourself with hamburgers and being obnoxious all the time is better?"

That made America even more angry. "I'm not going to stand by and let you insult me like that! Only cowards use words; if you not a coward you'll fight me like a man, using fists!" America brought up his fists to his chest, ready to strike.

Canada stared back at him contemptuously. "See, that's exactly what I mean: you're being a complete obnoxious jerk who has no respect for others." He readied himself into a fighting position too. His brother's teasing has hit a soft spot and gotten to his head; so much so, that he forgot his reason (and the fact that you aren't suppose to fight in a sacred place), which is why he accepted the challenge – even though normally he wouldn't. "But I guess the only way for you to stop is if I teach you a lesson once and for all." He smirked. "I've been wanting to kick your butt for a long time. Now's my chance."

America was the first to strike. Just when Canada had finished speaking, America threw himself forwards, trying to land a punch on Canada's cheek, but Canada easily dodged it and tried to hit America who also evaded the punch.

France tried to stop the fight, but to no avail.

However, the fight stopped almost as quickly as it had started. The people were completely outraged by their behavior and kicked them out of the Church.

Once again, all the countries were thrown out.

"J'y crois pas!" (I don't believe this!) France shouted out exasperatedly. "J'y crois pas, j'y crois pas, j'y crois paaaaas !" He was gripping his hair in frustration, then he let his arms fall down and yelled: "Merde, à la fin !" ** He then turned to the others. "Don't tell me we're going to get kicked out of EVERY SINGLE BUILDING?" He exclaimed.

Canada glared scornfully at America, crossing his arms. "Who's the one who got us kicked out twice?"

"Romano's the one who started this whole 'being kicked out' business." America pointed out.

"Hey, don't drag me into this _barstado_! I didn't do anything this time!" Romano retorted.

But America ignored him and turned back towards Canada. "This is all your fault!" America pointed an accusing finger at Canada.

Canada was completely taken aback. He let his arms fall down, "What?!" He blurt out. "How exactly is this my fault? You're the one who wanted to fight!"

"You're the one who started it by calling me a jerk!" America retorted. "Did you think I was just going to sit still and let you call me names?"

"I don't believe this!" Canada's eyes widened in shock. "YOU'RE always hitting ME! And then you complain when I call you a jerk?!" He shouted, which took America by surprised: he had never seen (or heard) Canada in such a state before.

The argument continued endlessly. And without anyone noticing, France slowly slipped away from the group. He needed to get away from all that commotion and find a quiet place to calm his nerves, or else he knew he would explode, which would just be adding oil to the already crazy fire that was taking place.

As he walked on, hands in pockets, his mind lost in thoughts, the loud yelling slowly faded away…

* * *

_**Lexicon:**_

_· "Entschuldigung" means sorry in German, and "pardon" means sorry in French._

_· "Merde a la fin !" is just another way to swear. I don't know how to translate it though… I guess it can be something like "Holy shit!" or "Damn it!" or something…_

* * *

_**Historical Data**_

_**[1]** La Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris is a church located in the Île de la Cité. It is one of the most remarkable churches because of its Gothic architecture. Maurice de Sully (bishop of Paris) wanted to build a Cathedral in honor of the Virgin Mary, which he named "Our Lady". Notre Dame took two centuries to be built: It's construction started in 1163, and ended in 1345, which is why there are many different parts with many different styles. It was badly damaged during the French Revolution, then restored by Viollet-le-Duc from 1844 to 1864. This Cathedral inspired all artists, poets and musicians, from François Villon to Victor Hugo._

_Important events that happened in this Cathedral:_

_- King Philippe Le Bel opened the first "Etats Généraux" of the Kingdom of France in 1302._

_- King Henry IV married Marguerite de Valois in 1572._

_- Pope Pius VII sacred Napoleon in 1804._

_- The people sang the Te Deum at the end of the First and Second World Wars._

_- Pope John Paul II came twice: in 1980 and in 1997 for "Les Journées Mondiales de la Jeunesse" (World Youth Day)_

_- In 2005, tens of thousands of believers came together to pray when Pope John Paul II died and await the appointment of the new head of the Church, Pope Benedict XVI._

_**[2]** France and Germany are not only close to each other geographically, but have a lot of history together, so I consider Germany to know French (and vise-versa)._

* * *

_**AN:** German isn't my native language (I'm learning it); so if I've made any mistakes, don't hesitate to correct me! (However, I am bilingual French-English.)_


	4. Chapter 3

Canada was the first to notice France's absence. He instantly tuned out his quarrel with America and started looking around. _That's weird._ He thought. Since France was nowhere to be seen, Canada took out his phone from his pocket and decided to call his ex-father.

"… and I play hockey too! I don't see why it should be your national sports! Hey! Are you even listening?" America exclaimed.

Canada rolled his eyes and turned his back to America, listening to the dial tone. _Come on, please answer!_ He thought, clutching the phone tightly.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!" America continued. "Who are you calling anyway?"

A familiar voice answered the phone and Canada sighed in relief. "France? It's me, Canada."

"France?" America repeated, blinking twice. He looked around and finally noticed the absence of that said nation. "What? Where did he go?"

Canada attentively listened to what France had to say. His expression changed from surprised to concern, and his eyebrows knitted in worry. "Oh…"

When France had finished his explanation, he said goodbye and hung up. Canada slowly lowered the phone, feeling pensive, and brought a finger to his mouth, as he was lost in thought.

America jumped right in front of him, snapping Canada out of his trance. "Well? What did Francy-pants have to say?"

The others (also noticing France's absence) gathered around Canada to hear the news.

"Well…" Canada started. "He said that for the rest of the afternoon, everyone could go their separate ways and visit whatever they wanted. He just wants us back to his place for diner."

"Cool! We get a freebie!" America enthused, his usually grin appearing back on his face.

Canada glared at America. _Doesn't he care about France, and wonder why he suddenly left us? _He thought. But America was completely oblivious to his brother's gloomy thoughts.

"One more thing." Canada added. "He asked that no one go see the Eiffel Tower during this free time because he wants to take us all there after dinner."

"Okeydokey"

"Fine by me."

"Stimmt!"

"Va bene!"

"Bueno."

"все в порядке"

"好" [Hǎo]

« わかった » [Wakatta] *****

"What are we waiting for? Lets go Japan!" America exclaimed, grabbing Japan's hand and rushing off.

"Wait, I'm coming with you! Who else is going to look after you and make sure you don't do anything stupid?" England called out as he ran after them.

China started walking away in the opposite direction and Russia followed.

"Where do you want to go China?" Russia asked.

China gulped. "You're… following me?" He inquired; his heart sank low like a heavy stone.

"Da."

"Why don't you come with me, chica?" Spain went up to Hungary. "You're probably tired of staying with that stuck-up." He said, jerking his thumb towards Austria.

Austria's face turned red in anger. "I am not-" but they had already left; Spain was dragging Hungary away. Austria watched them leave, biting his lower lip in frustration.

"We'll go with you." A cheery voice said behind him. Austria spun around to face his speaker. The Italian brothers were standing in front of him; Italy had his usual charming smile while Romano looked away with a pout.

"Thank you." Austria replied, smiling. Then they headed off.

"Where do you want to go?" Switzerland asked Lichtenstein.

"I don't know. What about you?" She answered.

Germany walked up to them. "I'm coming with you." He stated. They both looked back at him in surprise. Then Lichtenstein smiled and said "Ok". They discussed what they could go visit as they walked away.

"Well… I guess it's just you and me." Canada stated, addressing Lithuania.

Lithuania looked back at him and smiled a small smile.

"Do you mind if I come with you?" Canada asked, looking down, embarrassed about the awkwardness of the situation and question.

"No, not at all." Lithuania replied, his smile broadening. "I'm happy to have you for company."

Canada raised his eyes and saw Lithuania's genuine smile, which made his own smile appear. "Thanks!"

* * *

"Where are we going?" England demanded as they walked along the busy street. He tuned out the background noises and focused on America's azure blue eyes. "I assume you have a place in mind, judging by the eagerness with which you ran off."

"Yeah! I know exactly where I want to go." America replied, flashing England a playful smile.

"And where is that?" England asked in a serious tone. _I hope he's not thinking of causing trouble,_ he thought.

"Little Lady Liberty!"

Japan gave America a look full of curiosity, and said "France also has one?"

"Yep!" America turned his head towards Japan who was walking on his other side. "France gave me mine as a present." He explained.

"Oh… I didn't know."

"And do you know where it is?" England questioned skeptically, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I know!" America declared, annoyed that England didn't have more faith in him. "I did some research. There are two of them: one at Grenelle Bridge on the _Île des Cygnes_, and another at the Luxembourg Gardens. We'll go to the one on Grenelle Bridge because it's closer."

_Hmm. Even I didn't know that._ England thought.

A few minutes later they had arrived at their destination.

"Well… It's definitely not as big as yours." Japan commented, readying his camera and taking pictures.

"It's still cool though!" America exclaimed. "Now I got to meet Lady Liberty's little sister." He went to stand right under it before starting to climb.

England, who had his arms crossed over his chest out of boredom, immediately uncrossed them and yelled "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?!" _I knew he was going to try something stupid,_ he thought.

"Chill out, Iggy." America called back. "I know what I'm doing."

"No, obviously you don't!" England angrily shot back. "Come back down this instant!"

"I'm not a kid anymore." America remarked. "You can't boss my around like you used to." He stopped, turned his head towards England and stuck his tongue out.

"Well, you're sure acting like one!" England retorted, losing his patience. However, America continued his climb. He was already halfway up.

"Maman! Papa! Regardez ce qu'il fait!" (Mom! Dad! Look at what he's doing!) Someone said. England whipped his head around to see who had said that. A kid was dragging his parents, pointing at America. England mentally slapped himself. Then he looked back up at America, his expression a mix of worry and annoyance._ Please get back down here. We don't want to cause any unnecessary attention,_ he silently begged.

Japan rolled his eyes as he watched the action play in silence. _When will America ever learn? _He thought. Then, as an after thought, he added: _Probably never, _and decided to take pictures of America being an idiot. Then he looked back at the couple to see their reaction.

The mother sighed and said: "Promet moi que quand tu seras grand tu ne vas jamais devenir come lui…" (Promise me that when you get older you will never be like him). She addressed her son.

"Mais ça a l'air trop génial c'qu'il fait!" (But it looks so cool what he's doing!)

"T'as mère a raison. C'est complètement irresponsable." (Your mother is right. It's completely irresponsible.) The father said.

America had finally reached the top of the block. He was at the foot of the statue now. "Yahoo!" He shouted, raising his arms up in the air. Then he looked back down. "Look guys! I made it to the top!"

_We can see that._ England and Japan thought at the same time.

"Great. Now, are you willing to come down yet?" England called back.

"Hmm. Let me think." His brows furrowed in concentration. Then he looked up. "Maybe I could climb up to the top of the statue?"

"Don't you dare!" England shouted back, looking completely distressed. But America ignored him and laughed very loudly.

_This is going to be a long day…_ Japan thought.

* * *

"So, where are we headed off too?" Russia asked China as they walked down the street.

"_Le quartier Asiatique._ Also known as 'China Town'" China replied. _Even though there are actually more Vietnamese, Laotians and Cambodians than there are Chinese, _He finished in his head._  
_

"There's even one in France?" Russia inquired in surprise.

China gave Russia a smirk. "Of course! We are everywhere!"

"Good. Another reason why you need to become one with me." Russia grinned back. "Then I'll have control of the entire world."

China fell silence, and his smirk instantly disappeared. He couldn't find anything to say to that.

Once they had arrived, Russia was enjoying the scenery. The architecture quickly changed style once you arrived in the Asian neighborhood. However, China was marching quickly, not paying any attention to what surrounded him, eager to reach his destination.

"Are you in a hurry to be somewhere, China?" Russia demanded.

China instantly slowed down and gulped. "Uh... No." He lied, unable to look at Russia directly in the eyes. Then he spotted something and cheered up. "I found something we could do." He said, and started walking towards a stand. Russia frowned before following.

"Hello!" China greeted the owner. Russia arrived seconds later.

"Hi!" The owner replied. "I'm guessing your interested in having your name drawn, is that right?"

"I've already done it before," China stated. "But I was thinking you could do it for my friend here." He pointed to Russia with his hand.

"What is this?" Russia asked China.

China turned towards Russia. "This person knows how to draw people's names using animals; like fish, ducks, dragons, and so on." China explained. "It's very pretty."

Russia looked interested, so he nodded towards the owner. "I'll do it."

"What's your name, please?"

"Ivan."

"Very well, Ivan." The owner acknowledge and immediate started painting. He drew with very quick and neat movements; you could see he'd been practicing for a long time.

While Russia was absorbed with the person's drawings, China used that moment to try and make a quick escape, but just as he had made two steps, Russia grabbed him by the collar and glared coldly back at him. "Where do you think you're going?" He asked in his sweet voice, yet his eyes weren't matching his tone.

China felt a chill run down his spine. _Does he have eyes in the back of his head? _He wondered.

Once it was done, Russia paid and the owner gave him his drawing. Then they were off.

"This looks nice." Russia noted, looking at his drawing as they walked.

"Yes it does." China agreed absentmindedly; his attention was elsewhere because they were approaching his destination.

Once they had arrived, China knocked on a door three times.

"Where are we now?" Russia asked. _This doesn't look like another attraction,_ he thought.

But before China could reply, the door swung open. In front of them stood a short and gruff looking Asian man. His face looked like it was stuck in an everlasting frown. But the moment he saw China, he his expression softened slightly.

"Wang!" He exclaimed, opening up his arms in greeting.

China smiled and accepted the hug. Then added; "how have you been Chen?"

"Same old, same old." He replied, barking a laugh. Then he gestured for them to head inside. "Come in."

Russia and China glanced at each other before going in. "You know why I've come, right?" China inquired, in a now serious tone, as he walked down the hallway.

"How could I forget." Chen nodded curtly. Once they were comfortably seated he glanced towards Russia and looked him up and down before saying "Who is this person?"

"One of us." China said, in a low voice, peeking a look at Russia, hoping that he wouldn't cause any trouble while they were here. But his face betrayed nothing. China couldn't tell what he was feeling right now.

"Ah yes. I knew he wasn't any ordinary person. You usually don't hang out with normal people, do you Wang?" Chen joked.

"Let's just get down to business. I want a full report." China commanded.

"Hmm. Let's see…" Chen began. "Nothing much to report; Everything has been going pretty smoothly in France, until you and your friends showed up and started disrupting the capital during your touristic vacation." Chen explained, a smirk showing on his face.

China felt frozen on the spot. _They already know what we're doing?_ He thought. But his surprise quickly dissipated and was replaced by a smile._ Goes to prove how great my infiltrating business is working,_ He thought.

"One of my agents reported to me just a few minutes ago, telling me that he saw France walking alone in the streets of Paris, looking pretty gloomy." Chen continued. "I don't know what you guys did to him, but I shouldn't need to remind you that whatever you do to his place will have repercussions on him too." Chen leaned forward looking at China straight in the eyes. "You're the one who told me that when we "colonize" a place, we need to be as least obvious as we can, and to blend in with the culture so as to learn everything about it." He leaned in closer. "I don't want you starting a war, do you understand? If something goes wrong in France, it doesn't just affect France, it affect us too because now where part of France, thanks to you." He finished his sentence, his voice full of bitterness.

China, seeing how serious he was, smiled reassuringly, try to lower the tension. "You're getting way ahead of yourself here." China said. "Don't worry, we're not - I'm not picking a fight with France. No war is going to happen. At least not in the near future." China assured, waving his hand.

Chen leaned back on his chair. "There better not be."

"But why do you think there will be a war?" China inquired.

"There's been quite a lot of political problems going on in France," Chen explained. "And it's not just about France; they've recently had the European election going on. That didn't turn out quite as expected for the French; people are all tensed up and anxious. So if you guys make any more commotion, it will just add to the tension. And everyone knows that fearful and distressed people easily get caught up in wars."

Russia stayed impassive. However, interiorly he was smirking. _I like how calculating Chen is, _Russia thought. _If I get a hold of China, I'll get a hold of this entire spy system that seems to be in every China town. _He then glanced at China. _Now I understand why he encourages his people to immigrate all around the world._

"I understand your concern." China said. "But there is no need for that." He got up from his chair. "Thank you for your report." He bowed. "Until next time."

Chen gave a curt nod in response. "Until next time." He repeated.

And then Russia and China left.

* * *

"What do you want to do?" Lithuania asked Canada as they started walking down the street.

"How about a boat ride on the Seine?" Canada asked. "Does that sound good?"

"That sounds great! I've actually never been on a boat ride before..." Lithuania said, looking down in embarrassment.

"Really?" Canada's eyes widened. "Then another reason why we should." He smiled.

They didn't have to walk long to get to it. Once Canada bought the tickets, they waited in the waiting line, chatting about random things. Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long. They climbed on the boat and found two empty seats near the edge of the boat. It was a small open-air boat. Once the boat started rolling, a tourist guide began to tell the history of France. Canada quickly got bored of it, since he knew it better than the guide, so he decided to make conversation. But Lithuania got ahead of him.

"How is Mr America?" Lithuania inquired, his eyes full of curiosity.

Canada suddenly felt a weight in his heart. His expression instantly went from joyful to somber. _Even when America is not here, we still have to talk about him… _He thought. _Will I ever be able to overcome the shadow of my brother? _Yet, he managed to put on a polite smile. "He's fine. A bit annoying at times though…"

"But at least he's not scary." Lithuania commented, thinking about Russia.

Before Canada could say anything in return, there was a sudden high-pitched yell coming from in front of him. It seemed like it came from the row right in front.

"Mon portefeuille !" (My wallet!) A young lady yelled, leaning on the edge of the boat and looking down in the water.

"Ah… ben maintenant il est définitivement perdu." (Ah… well now it's definitely lost.) A person in front of her said with a grin on his face, obviously enjoying seeing her desperation.

The young girl who had lost her wallet spun around and glared at her neighbor, balling her hands into fists. "C'est de ta faute ! Si tu ne m'avais pas poussé, ça ne serait jamais arrivé !" (It's your fault ! If you hadn't pushed me, this would never have happened!)

"J'ai pas fait exprès ! J'ai juste glissé ! Si tu avais fait plus attention a t'es affaires, ça n'serait jamais arrivé ! D'ailleurs, qu'est ce que tu faisais avec ton portefeuille à la main ?" (I didn't do it on purpose! I just tripped! If you had taken better care of your stuff, this would never have happened! In fact, what were you doing with your wallet in hand?) Her neighbor retorted, getting angry himself.

"Je rangeais juste mes affaires. Et puis qu'est-ce que ça peut t'faire ? Mêle toi de ce qui te regarde !" (I was just putting away my stuff. And what do you care what I do? It's none of your business!)

"Ouais, ben c'est de t'as faute de toute façon ! T'as pas l'droit de t'énerver sur moi !" (Yeah, well it's your fault anyways! You can't get angry at me!) He added.

She turned her back to him and stared intensely at the water, her hands gripping the railing. Then, to everyone's astonishment, she suddenly bounced up and put her knees on the edge of the boat, preparing to jump. People gasped and shrieked.

"Mais ça n'vas pas la tête ?!" (Are you completely nuts?)

"Qu'est ce que vous faites ?!" (What are you doing?)

"Elle est complètement folle !" (She's lost it!)

Canada shot up from his seat. He was sitting behind her, so he decided to try and calm her down. He learned towards her and said in a calm and soothing voice: "Ne faite pas ça..." (Don't do it...)

She looked back at him with pain in her eyes; she looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Il faut que j'aille le récupérer !" (I have to go retrieve it!) She said. "Il y a tout ce dont j'ai besoin dans mon portefeuille: ma carte d'identité, ma carte bancaire, ma carte vitale; tout mes papiers important sont dedans ! Mon portefeuille c'est ma vie !" (There is everything I need in it: my identity card, my credit card, my social security card; all my important papers are in it! My wallet is my life!) She finished her sentence crying; tears falling freely down her cheeks. She looked so miserable; it broke Canada's heart. So he quickly decided that he would go and get it for her. He didn't think twice. She looked so desperate, that for him it was vital she get it back. And he wasn't going to let her dive into the water.

"Je vais aller le chercher." (I'm going to go get it.) He told her.

She stared back at him in shock. "Quoi ? Non !" (What? No!)

He gently took her head in his hands and said: "Ecoute moi; reste là et ne bouge pas." (Listen to me; stay here and don't move.) He ordered.

He didn't give her time to protest and immediately dived into the water, causing the commotion to start up again. Everyone was yelling and pointing their fingers at Canada, saying how foolish and stupid he was. Everyone; except the young lady, who anxiously watched the waters, waiting for him to come back up to the surface.

Yet, however much noise people made, the boat impassively moved forward, and didn't stop to wait for their fallen companion. Some people went to beg the driver to stop the boat, but the driver replied that he wouldn't wait for someone stupid enough to fall into the river. So all the people could do was hope and pray.

The young lady hadn't moved from her spot – like Canada had ordered – and continued to watch the waters, with feelings of dread and guilt overwhelming her. _I should have stopped him! If he's dead, I'll blame myself for the rest of my life! _She thought, her heart racing.

Lithuania had watched the scene take place. He was also anxious and wondered what had made Canada do such an irresponsible thing. He was thinking he might have to dive in too and rescue him, but just then Canada burst out of the water. The young lady let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. At that moment she didn't care if he had found her wallet or not; she was just happy he was OK. But when she saw that he was also holding her wallet, her heart jumped with joy.

'Tu l'as trouvé !" (You found it!) She exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with awe.

Canada was swimming towards the boat but the boat was going faster than him. So when he realized he wouldn't be able to catch up, he swam towards the shore and got out. From there he followed the boat to its destination, running paralleled to it. Everyone on the boat was cheering for him, calling him either a hero or an imbecile. However, Lithuania and the young girl stayed silent, they didn't know what to make of this.

Once the boat had arrived, everyone rushed over towards Canada, asking him a tone of questions, imitating reporters. Canada ignored them and calmly walked over towards the young lady, who was rushing to him. She stopped right in front of him and looked back at him with concern.

"Est-ce que tu vas bien ? Tu n'es pas blessé ?" (Are you alright? You're not hurt?) She demanded, anxiously looking at him.

He shook his head. "Ça va." (I'm fine.) He replied, giving her a reassuring smile. When she realized that he was OK, she sighed and regained her composure. Then he handed over her wallet. "Tiens." (Here)

She took it and put it straight away in her bag, then she looked back at Canada. "Comment pourrais-je vous remercier ?" (How could I ever thank you?) She asked.

Canada started at her phrasing, surprised that she was suddenly using a _vouvoiement_ **[1]** when two seconds ago she wasn't using formal speech. "Oh, ce n'est pas grave. L'essentiel c'est que tu ai récupéré ton portefeuille." (Oh, don't worry about it. What's important is that you got your wallet back.)

"Je vous dois énormément." (I owe you a lot.) She said. Then she looked down at the ground, fiddling with her clothes, her face turning slightly red, and added "Si vous voulez… vous pouvez venir chez moi prendre un thé et vous changer… J'habite juste à coté…" (If you want… you could come to my place, have some tea and change clothes… I live close by…)

Canada would have immediately accepted if he were alone, but he wasn't, so he anxiously glanced at Lithuania.

Even though Lithuania didn't speak fluent French and only understood basic words, he had a fairly good idea of what she was asking him, so he gave Canada an approving nod.

Canada turned back to the girl. "Volontiers !" (With pleasure!) He agreed. "Est-ce que mon ami peux venir aussi ?" (Can my friend come too?) He asked, pointing to Lithuania.

"Bien sur!" (Of course!) She answered, glad that he had accepted her invitation.

So after asking for the crowd to scatter, the two countries and the girl walked down the streets of Paris, chatting about the events that had happened and getting to know each other better.

Meanwhile, what could the others be doing?

**[To be continued…]**

* * *

_Lexicon:_

_***** For the Japanese I used the Hiragana. There are 3 "alphabets" in Japanese: the Kanji, which uses the Chinese characters; and two Kanas: the Hiragana and Katakana._

_In the past (a very long time ago; during the feudal era) the Hiragana (ひらがな) was mostly used by the women because the characters are rounder, and the Katakana (カタカナ) was mostly used by men because the characters are sharper and squarer. But nowadays the Hiragana is used for children: they first learn how to write words in Hiragana before they learn the Kanji equivalent. And the Katakana is used for foreign words; for example when they use English words, they will write it in Katakana._

_Now a lesson on how to read Japanese characters:_

_« わかった »_

_わ (wa) か (ka) っ(…) た (tta)_

_The « っ » (tsu) can be used in two different forms: when it is in big form, you pronounce it "tsu". But when it's in small form (like now) you don't pronounce it at all; instead it's used as an accentuator: it accentuates the "letter" coming after it. In this case it accentuates the "た" (ta). So instead of saying "wakata" with a soft "ta" sound, you would say "waka-Ta" accentuating the "Ta" at the end._

_"Wakatta." means "understood." But you can also use it as a question: "wakatta?" and in that case you would be saying: "did you understand?"_

_XxX_

_**[1]** In French "You" can either be "tu" (2nd person singular) or "vous" (2nd person plural)._

_"Tu" is used for people who are close to you (like friends and family), or for someone who is close to you in age, even if you don't know that person. (You would "tutoie" anyone who is your age and under)._

_"Vous" is more complicated. It has two meanings: the first one is plural: you use it when you are addressing a group of people (like "you guys"), but it is also a form of respect. You would use "vous" for anyone who is older than you in age (like an old man or an old lady) or higher than you in rank (like your teacher or boss)._

_Apparently, if you go anywhere else than in France (like Canada or Belgium) they don't make that distinction anymore; they use "tu" with everyone, even if you are addressing an old person, or your teachers / boss. They use "vous" only for plural._

_That's why Canada was taken aback by the young lady's sudden distancing when she reverted back to formal speech. The lady was just trying to be polite and respectful, but Canada took that as a detachment on her part._

_XxX_

_**Author's Note:** I decided to divide this section of the story into three parts. (It was originally going to be just one big part with the points of views of everyone going their separate ways, but it would have been way too long to put everyone here). _

_Also, even though Canada is not very popular among his fellow countries, I thought it would make a good twist to make him popular amongst humans. _

_Hope you're enjoying it so far! And don't worry; we will see France again. What do you think he's going to visit? _


End file.
